EDMONTON, Alberta – Though the “Hounds of Justice” journeyed to SmackDown to expand their dominance in an impressive trifecta of individual showdowns, it would ultimately be WWE’s submission specialist – desperate to prove to himself that he was not the “weak link” of Team Hell No – who would dispense final justice.
SmackDown opened with a fevered clash pitting Kane against Seth Rollins, the first of two scheduled singles matches between WWE Tag Team Champions, The Shield, and their title-holding predecessors, Team Hell No.
Photos of Seth Rollins' huge fall
In the final moments of battle, a distraction by Roman Reigns paved the way for Rollins to hit The Big Red Monster with a fierce kick to the head. However, when Rollins attempted to follow up his attack from the top rope, Daniel Bryan took advantage of the distracted referee to throw his partner’s unsuspecting opponent to the canvas. The Devil’s Favorite Demon then hit the chokeslam for the victory.
Moments after Kane’s huge win, Daniel Bryan took on Roman Reigns. In the height of the action, the former World Champion trapped his opponent in the “No!” Lock and appeared as if he might score the second triumph of the night over the “Hounds of Justice.”
Photos of the monster hit that got Bryan disqualified
However, with Seth Rollins’ help, Bryan’s black-clad adversary grabbed the ropes. While The Big Red Monster instantly took down the interfering Rollins, Reigns delivered a cheap shot to The Devil’s Favorite Demon from inside the ring – just as the occupied referee was getting Bryan to break his finishing maneuver. When Kane punched back, though, the official saw it and was left with no choice but to promptly disqualify Bryan!
When the dust settled, an outraged Bryan and Kane argued once again, as Bryan continued to fight his fear that he was the “weak link” of the tremendous tag team.
After relentlessly belittling the Edmonton crowd, Damien Sandow introduced his latest game of wits to the WWE Universe – a contest that the ancient Greeks may have called “Thimblerig,” but pretty much everyone else would call the Shell Game. And as Sandow explained how it worked, Sheamus decided to join him in the ring.
Brain teasing photos of Sheamus outsmarting Sandow
While The Celtic Warrior appeared to fall short in the unique challenge, he soon discovered that Sandow had, in fact, cheated. This inspired the fighting Irishman to “educate” The Intellectual Savior of the Masses by “braining him” with the Brogue Kick.
With the help of Paul Heyman, Curtis Axel pontificated on his huge victories over Triple H and WWE Champion John Cena in recent weeks – summing it all up by saying that “for a ‘Paul Heyman Guy,’ life is perfect.”
Photos of Curtis Axel executing his first SmackDown Perfect Plex
In the match that followed against Sin Cara, the impressive up-and-coming Superstar played on those very words, overcoming his opponent’s high-octane offense with a devastating combination of his grandfather’s Axe maneuver and the Perfect Plex, courtesy of his WWE Hall of Fame father, Mr. Perfect.
After AJ Lee accidently cost Big E Langston his match against Alberto Del Rio on Raw, the powerful competitor returned to SmackDown to go head-to-head with World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler’s No. 1 contender for the fourth time.
Eager to make up for her Monday mistake, AJ engaged Del Rio outside the ring while the referee was distracted, shaking things up enough for Langston to hurl the Mexican Superstar into the unforgiving steel post. Moments later, Big E executed the “Big Ending” on Del Rio for the three-count, evening the recent matches between them at two wins apiece.
Perhaps in anticipation of the possible third stage of his upcoming Three Stages of Hell Match against WWE Champion John Cena at the Payback pay-per-view, Ryback rolled into SmackDown in an ambulance to face off against Kofi Kingston.
Photos of Ryback's latest Feeding Frenzy
From the opening bell, Kofi set out to show the “Human Wrecking Ball” that looking past him was a big mistake. Still, despite The Wildcat’s explosive offense, the No. 1 contender to the WWE Title roared back, taking out the high-flier with Shell Shocked for the victory.
The carnage didn’t stop with the bell, though. In an apparent effort to send a message to The Champ, Ryback proceeded to put Kingston through three separate tables – leaving him injured amidst a wasteland of broken wood!
Photos: Countdown the moments to Y2J's SmackDown victory
Will the six-time World Champion have the same luck when he takes on CM Punk at WWE Payback on June 16?
In an electrifying SmackDown main event, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns brought the furious action to a screeching halt, attacking Randy Orton to bring about a disqualification in The Viper’s favor.
Photos: Bryan's unleashed an absolute Shield onslaught
But an even more electrifying moment trumped their efforts just seconds later. While both members of Team Hell No rushed to the ring to help even the odds for WWE’s Apex Predator, it was Daniel Bryan who – furious and desperate to prove to himself that he is not the “weak link” of Team Hell No – sent all three Shield members packing!